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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s tennis team closed out the regular season with a tight 4-2 victory over Nevada on Sunday afternoon. The only senior on the team, Mads Hegelund, clinched the victory for the Lobos in the Senior Day match up.

“I’m very proud of the team today, especially Mads Hegelund,” head coach Alan Dils said. “It was Senior Day and he really stepped up. It was a great way to end our regular season.”

While it may seem like a fairytale ending to a successful (18-7) UNM regular season, the win did not come easily. The match was neck-and-neck from the start of doubles play up until Hegelund captured the match about three hours later.

Hegelund and Andrew Van Der Vyver started UNM off with a doubles victory in the No. 3 spot. The Wolf Pack answered with a win in the No. 2 position to tie up the score. The intensity was high as No. 1 team Samir Iftikhar and James Hignett battled Victor Ouvard and Robert Allan. Iftikhar and Hignett pulled off an 8-5 victory to clinch the doubles point.

The intensity continued into singles play as scores remained close. The Wolf Pack tied up the score at 1-1 after Ouvard defeated Iftikhar, 6-2, 6-3, to start the match.

Van Der Vyver and Hayden Sabatka put up wins in the No. 2 and No. 4 positions to give the Lobos the lead once again.

After Rodolfo Jauregui dropped a match in the No. 3 spot, the crowd was feeling anxious once again. The score was sitting at 3-2 when Hegelund came through with a 7-6, 6-2 victory in the No. 6 position. Hegelund finished his senior year with an impressive 16-7 singles record.

The Lobos weren’t the only ones who had a successful day out at the Linda Estes Tennis Complex. The Friends of Loren Dils Benefit BBQ brought in a great crowd and received a lot of generous donations for a great cause.

UNM closed out its regular season with a 4-2 conference record, but there is still a lot more MW tennis to be played. The Lobos head to Fresno, Calif. next week to battle for a championship.